Friday 10 August 2012

Bennett Street War Memorial

The Bennett Street War Memorial sits in front of the George & Dragon public house, surrounded by railings. It was designed by J.H. Wood, the borough surveyor and sculpted by J.J. Hirst of Denton, the memorial - a stone column - is 16ft 3ins high. The main shaft is 10ft high and 2ft square. It is made of a solid block of the best white selected Windaway stone from Bollington - chosen for its weathering qualities.

At the top across is the word "Honour" and the town coat of arms. Inscribed on the plinth is "to the glory of God and in affectionate memory of the men of Newton who gave their lives for their country and the cause of liberty in the Great War 1914-1919".

To the right below a cross are crossed swords and the inscription "In thanksgiving for the sacrifice of parents, wives, and relatives of the fallen for the safe return of those who have been spared".

On the back are wings and the inscription "Subscribed for and erected by the inhabitants of Newton".

On the left is an anchor and the inscription "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends".

The memorial was paid for by money raised for the George and Dragon Soldier's Comfort Fund. Originally, the plan was for a small scroll of honour, but £329 was raised, allowing for a grander scheme eventually costing £450. It was unveiled on August 15, 1925, by Mr EWH Wood, the M.P. for Stalybridge and Hyde, in front of a crowd of 1,500 people.

Earlier a procession headed by the Chief Constable of Hyde, Mr J.W. Danby, left the town hall, accompanied by Kingston Mills Band and featuring many members of the British Legion. After the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past", prayers were led by Pastor Black of Muslin Street (now Talbot Road) and Daisyfield United Methodist churches. A passage from Scripture was then read by the Rev. T.E. Lee of St. Stephen's. Speeches followed by Mr B. Winterbottom, chairman of the memorial committee, and Mr Wood M.P.

A contribution to Friday Fences.

15 comments:

  1. that is a lovely fence and a lovely memorial.

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  2. What a beautiful fence surrounding that memorial! And thank you for the information on it - makes it come alive!

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  3. wow, what a perfect one to include here. so great!! (:

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  4. Beautiful fence surrounding a lovely memorial.

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  5. Very interesting history...beautiful memorial. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Wrought iron fences are definitely "in" this week!

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  7. What a beautiful memorial and thanks so much for telling about its meaning.

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  8. that is a nice fence protecting the memorial.

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  9. It is nice to see that the memorial is well kept and maintained. That is not always the case.

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  10. Rather struck by the wording on this memorial which is, to me, unusual and unusually sensitive.

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  11. Always intrigued by what these memorials look like.

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  12. A real tribute to those lost and a touching gesture from the townfolks. That fence is very 'protective'.

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  13. That is a great memorial, and the fence really does add to it.

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  14. An incredible amount of work, and very beautiful as well!!
    There is currently a huge discussion here about whether sitting on the steps of the War Memorial is disrespectful...

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  15. You can tell when these memorials spring out of community effort--so heartfelt in their designs and messages. And I would suspect that this beautiful but sturdy fence is meant to protect the memorial and show proper respect?

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